QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4ml

Earthquake near Pine Valley, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Pine Valley in the 24 hours to 7:55 am PST (15:55 UTC). The last one was M 2.4, 6 km (4 mi) NW, at 2:04 am PST on 4 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 17 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Pine Valley

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) west-northwest of Pine Valley, CA, at 9:48 am PST on 28 December 2024 (17:48 UTC), 16 km deep. 43 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 11 km WNW of Pine Valley, CA

47 km (29 mi) E of San Diego, CA · 31 km (19 mi) E of El Cajon, CA

9:48 am PST, Dec 28, 2024 · · 16 km deep · released about 120 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Pine Valley Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Diego County 23 kmRiverside County 114 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
9:48 am PST on 28 December 2024 ()
Where
11 km (7 mi) west-northwest of Pine Valley, CA · earthquakes near Pine Valley
Magnitude
M 2.4 (ml)
Depth
16 km below the surface
Felt
43 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
San Diego County, 23 km NW
Nearest mapped fault
Elsinore fault, 24 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 679 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 14 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Pine Valley, 11 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Likely felt in: Pine Valley 11 km, intensity II · Alpine 12 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 120 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 120,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 86,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.7× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 120 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.2 21km NW of Ocotillo, CA · 45 km E of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 16 km NW of Julian, California · 39 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 26km NE of Pine Valley, CA · 33 km ENE of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 32.8523, -116.6362. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Diego County, CA 23 km (14 mi) NW earthquakes near San Diego County
Riverside County, CA 114 km (71 mi) NNE earthquakes near Riverside County
Imperial County, CA 121 km (75 mi) E earthquakes near Imperial County
Orange County, CA 140 km (87 mi) NW earthquakes near Orange County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

29 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 5.2 5 km S of Julian, CA
  2. 1.8 14 km E of Julian, CA
  3. 2.0 5 km S of Julian, CA
  4. 3.3 5 km S of Julian, CA
  5. 1.7 11 km SSW of Borrego Springs, CA
  6. 1.8 26 km ENE of Pine Valley, CA
  7. 1.9 11 km SW of Lake Henshaw, CA
  8. 1.6 23 km ESE of Julian, CA
  9. 2.2 10 km ESE of Alpine, CA
  10. 1.6 3 km ESE of Lake Henshaw, CA
  11. 1.5 28 km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  12. 1.7 28 km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  13. 2.3 28 km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  14. 1.5 28 km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  15. 1.8 11 km NE of Julian, CA

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.